Arsenal at BATE 2/14/19 - Europa League Picks & Predictions

Arsenal were excellent in the group stage of the Europa League and naturally moved on to the knockout round. They are now up against Belorussian side BATE in the round of 32 and they will visit Belarus for the first leg on Thursday. BATE have been inactive for over two months and could struggle here.

BATE have been the total bosses of their domestic competitions in over a decade, winning the title in each of the last 13 seasons. This will be the third time they reach the knock-out phase of the Europa League and first in the last six years. BATE had not won in five consecutive European home matches before a 0-2 win over Vidi in the group stage. Their overall record at home in the Europa League, qualifiers included, stands at 6-7-5. The biggest disadvantage for BATE is the lack of match fitness, as they haven’t played a competitive match since mid-December. Arsenal started from the Europa League this season and had a pretty easy job in their group. They went undefeated (5-0-1) and only conceded goals in their first match of that stage. The Gunners won all three away goals in that stage, and their away record in two Europa League campaigns stands at 7-2-1 with 19 goals scored and just six conceded. However, Arsenal have struggled to get results on the road lately, winning just two of their last eight away matches in all competitions (2-4-2).